"Oh," I thought. "A new Chipotle. Cool."
Then a double-take. I slammed on the break, nearly causing a traffic pileup, then swerved like a madman across three lanes of traffic to get into the lane for a u-turn.
"CHIPOTLE IS HERE!!!"
Oh, the glory of burritos the size of one's head! Oh, the fresh, flavorful ingredients--the free-range pork and the organic onions! Oh, the four different varieties of salsa, made fresh daily with ingredients purchased from small-scale, sustainable farms!* The culinary gods have made their home here in hel--I mean, North Carolina. Why did it take them so long?
It was only 10:40 am--the store didn't open for another 20 minutes. I waited patiently for that agonzing score of minutes, then burst in the door: "Where have you been!? How long have you been open here!? IS THERE GOING TO BE A STORE IN DURHAM!!??"
Knowing grins from the manager--she's seen this reaction before, I see.
"Yes, we're here now. We've been open about a month. We're opening twelve new stores in NC this year. I don't know about Durham, but there will be one in Chapel Hill."
Chipotle is now only 22 miles from my house.
Thank you, Lord. Thank you.
* Yes, I know that 'sustainable agriculture' is a silly, self-congratulatory conceit of the upwardly mobile. But it makes me feel better if I can justify inhaling 4,000+ calories in a little under five minutes if I can imagine that I'm at least being socially and environmentally responsible.
